Bound Secrets - A Warriors Fanfiction
by SouthernBourbon
Summary: Long before the events of Into the Wild, the forest sat in disarray. Shadowclan and its ruthless leader, Darkstar, had destroyed the peace and prosperity between the clans, leaving himself in charge and many of the old ways left behind. Yet, a new prophecy from Starclan signals changes as two kits are born into the world and destined to return harmony to the forest.
1. Allegiances

**Allegiances**

**Thunderclan**

Leader: Snowstar - light gray she-cat with white underbelly, darker grey marks on her muzzle, feet, and tail

Deputy: Tornpelt - tortoiseshell tom with white base color, renamed for large scars on pelt

Medicine Cat: Lostear - dark gold tom with dark eyes and one ear torn off

Apprentice: Brighteyes - Brown tortoiseshell with brown-red stripes on tail

Warriors:

Lionwhisker - Dark gold tabby tom with long whiskers

Apprentice: Tigerpaw

Dusteyes - Light brown tabby tom with dark brown underbelly with clouded grey eyes

Tawnyfrost - Sandy colored she-cat with yellow spots and brown markings with dark blue eyes

Apprentice: Brittlepaw

Smokestorm - A dark grey tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes

Apprentice: Littlepaw

Flameheart - Dark ginger tom with golden eyes

Apprentice: Redpaw

Goldenpelt - Bright golden brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Robintail - Black tabby tom with faint grey markings on his tail, dark blue eyes

Apprentice: Mosspaw

Apprentices:

Tigerpaw - light brown tabby she-cat with light blue eyes

Littlepaw - A dark brown she-cat with small black paws and dark eyes

Mudpaw - Tan colored tom with sleek hair, brown eyes

Redpaw - Red-orange dappled she-cat with thick fur, with green eyes

Mosspaw - brown tom with dark brown spots and dark brown paws, with green eyes

Queens:

Whiteflower - Bright white she-cat with grey stripes across her back (kits: Marshkit and Cloudkit)

Elders:

Crackedfang - Old brown tabby tom with a cracked fang

Addertail - Old molted grey she-cat

**Shadowclan**

Leader: Darkstar - A straight black, sleek tom

Deputy: Cedarfoot - A thick dark brown she-cat with light grey spots covering her entire body, light grey feet

Medicine Cat: Silverfoot - light grey she-cat with thin fur and silver paws

Apprentice: Ashpaw - Grey tabby tom

Warriors:

Yellowsky - Yellow/tan she-cat with ripped fur and body scars

Apprentice: Frostpaw

Hawkscar - Thin firred brown and grey tabby tom with a large body scar

Foxsoul - Thick pelt red and orange she-cat with green eyes

Amberblaze - Light golden she-cat with brown spots and stripes

Pineneedle - Light grey tom with dappled spots across his body and dark brown paws, green eyes

Blackstripe - Dark blue-grey tom with dark stripes, brown eyes

Apprentice: Mousepaw

Badgerpelt - Black and white she-cat

Leopardstorm - Strong tom with yellow fur and black stripes

Stonegaze - Stone colored tom with grey eyes

Apprentice: Mudpaw

Oakfur - Brown tabby tom

Duskclaw - Dark sandy she-cat with dappled spots across legs, green eyes

Apprentices:

Frostpaw - A silver she-cat with black markings on her face and tail

Mudpaw - A dark brown/black tom

Mousepaw - A tan-brown she-cat

Queens:

Rosefur - Dark red/orange she-cat with brown-golden eyes (Kits: Sunkit and Grasskit)

Leafdawn - light orange she-cat, Mate: Leopardstorm

**Riverclan**

Leader: Toadstar - Dark grey tom with brown underbelly and face markings

Deputy: Vinefoot - Tan she-cat with lighter stripe down the back and large scar

Medicine cat: Flowerleaf - Grey she-cat with white belly and muzzle

**Windclan**

Leader: Amberstar - Orange stripped she-cat with yellow paws and muzzle

Deputy: Sprucestorm - Older dark brown tom with scarred grey neck

Medicine cat: Harecry: Yellow tom with blond splotches


	2. Prologue

_A Quick Note: I am writing this story as I upload it. There is a good chance I will change/edit the allegiances as I go on, especially if I add more notable cats to Riverclan and Windclan. This story focuses mostly on Thunderclan and Shadowclan, so the cats listed there will most likely not change much. _

Her breath filtered up into dark air as she pushed through the brambles and into the needles surrounding the entrance. Even the general soft mud had frozen over with the dew placed onto the ground that icy evening. The moon's glow filtered through some of the thick needles above, an uncommon sight on this half of the thunder path.

So she followed it. Passing the returning cats from a nightly hunt, all of which did not address her movement away from the shadowed camp. She had some freedom to move as she pleased, as long as she continued to keep the right cats alive.

Sliding between the trunks of the pines, her eyes flickered around, as if curious to where she was traveling. This forest was not novel to her, not at her age, but she suddenly felt as though she had gotten lost in between the branches. Unconsciously, her body lowered to the ground and her fur stood on its end. At moments, the she-cat would even taste the air, but nothing stood out. Not even the smell of much needed new growth.

The cloudless night continued, as the smell of familiar cats began to drift far behind her, and not even the thrashing of the branches could distract her from the growing moonlit path before her.

_Silverfoot…_

A sudden pause, Silverfoot instantly froze in place with a paw still off the ground. Despite her twitching whiskers and her ears straining to hear the slightest sound, only once was her name said. It seemed longing, as if the moon itself had asked her to move closer and closer. A familiar feeling touched her glowering fur in the moonlight for a brief moment but disappeared. She pushed on.

The trail ended, just as it had begun. Silverfoot came to a stop at the end of the moonlight beneath the trees and stared up. For a brief moment, she saw the round pale eye of the night sky glare down at her, unblinking and unwavering. The she-cat felt the deep anxiety of not fulfilling her true duty on this night, as she had for moons and moons, but at this very moment, the apprehension nearly threw her into the ground.

Her coat appeared brilliant in the natural lighting. She blinked only once, and the moon disappeared.

Suddenly, she felt the pines around her push back as if exposing her to the sky. The frozen mud under her paws melted into a burning sensation, and electricity filled the air around her, pushing her to pelt out at the edges. Silverfoot cried out.

Her voice was gone.

Her gaze became fixed on the flash lightning that exploded before her. A fire erupted from the pine, and despite the wind that pushed against her, she did not fall backward. She was unable to move.

_Silverfoot! Your kin has attempted to destroy us!_

The voices rang out around her and within her. She felt their anguish deep within her frozen paws. The lightning had revealed a dark cat, and suddenly Silverfoot's heart ached at the sight of seeing her, after so many moons. She walked forward and despite being shrouded in darkness, with only two glowing bright gold eyes staring down from above, Silverfoot recognized her anyway.

Her voice rang out loudest as she stood over Silverfoot._ Keep her kits alive, for the sun or the earth will bring peace back to the clans!_

Silverfoot gasped with a sudden breath as she collapsed onto the frozen forest floor. The ghostly presence was gone, leaving behind no trace. Her body shook with fear as she glanced up once more, only to realize the moon was now fully covered with clouds.


	3. Chapter 1

Sunkit muzzled at the soft belly of the queen. The warm milky smell drifted around the sheltered den as the early morning light filtered in through the thorn-covered entrance. Sunkit had been awake for some time, the energy of sunrise filtering through her tiny orange paws. She wasn't hungry, and she wasn't tired. Sunkit was ready to begin the day.

"Rosefur, will that kit ever calm down?" A humorous purr came from across the den as the rounded-belly Leafdawn spoke.

Rosefur touched a dark red tail to Sunkit's chin and pushed her head up so that they looked into each other's eyes, "She's got the energy of a real warrior," Sunkit puffed her chest out at the comment and stretched her legs to stand as tall as possible. She couldn't wait to grow into her paws.

Next to her, the slightly larger kit stirred. His darker brown fur stood out against the she-cats, but despite that, Sunkit could tell that the markings on her pelt matched his. It seemed even Rosefur felt pride in the coats of her kits. Sunkit moved to shove against the tom, and get him to his feet, but the larger paw of Rosefur caught her in her tracks.

"I want to play!" Sunkit's voice squeaked out as she felt frustrated by her mother's resistance.

Rosefur pushed her back effortlessly, "Grasskit will play, let him get up in his own time." Sunkit huffed and walked upwards towards the den entrance, understanding that she needed to leave her brother alone, but angry that he couldn't just awaken at the same time as her.

At the opening of the entrance, she lifted her head and peered out over the edge. Cats she didn't know stalked from den to a pile of blood and small bodies. _Fresh-kill_, she recognized from her mother's scale-covered meals. More sun covered the camp than she normally saw, but no cat took a moment to soak in the light, as once they finished meals, they moved to order themselves and leave the camp again.

Sunkit scanned across the hollow and settled on the two large boulders that leaned together, surrounded by dark-colored ferns. Between the rocks, a cat sat in the entrance, and Sunkit realized this cat's piercing eyes were staring at her.

"Rosefur!"

Sunkit jumped from the entrance, startled by the call. She did not notice that her father, she remembered him, had come from the camp entrance and straight to the nursery. She looked up at him with his tall, muscular stature bearing over her. His striped fur appeared similar to Grasskit, but a much darker pelt color.

"Pineneedle?" The queen's response felt shaky, and when Sunkit looked back at her, Rosefur waved the kit back with a small flick of the tail. Frightened by the intensity of her father, she stumbled back to the milky belly.

Even Leafdawn, who had relaxed into her pregnancy, sat up in her nest.

The tom squeezed through the entrance, careful not to prick his pelt with the thorns, and Sunkit could see the wide worry in his eyes, "Darkstar would like to visit the kits." Sunkit recognized the name, but she wasn't sure she understood the fear scent leaking into the den. It seemed, for a moment, that the whole den was frozen.

Rosefur began to push against Grasskit with a hind paw, "Wake up, little one," She attempted a normal purr, but Sunkit could hear how the queen's voice shook. Grasskit narrowly opened his eyes and attempted to curl closer to Rosefur.

"Come on, Grasskit!" Sunkit pushed against him until he finally answered.

The small tom shoved to his feet, "Fine!" He mumbled. Rosefur pulled him close and began to smooth out his fur with her tongue, causing the kit to wiggle underneath the pressure. Pineneedle nodded at the queen and quickly exited the nursery, while Leafdawn called Sunkit over and began to groom her similarly. The queen's rough tongue dragged Sunkit's pelt in awkward motions, and the kid wondered why both the queens had become so dramatic.

The entrance to the den began to shiver, and Leafdawn quickly nuzzled Sunkit back to her mother. Rosefur scrambled uncomfortably to her paws and pushed her kits close together in front of her. Sunkit grumbled, she hated being dragged around like that.

A whisper, "Sit up straight and speak only when spoken to."

Through the entrance, a raven-colored tom appeared. Sunkit recognized him from watching the camp in the mornings, but she realized how dominating he was up close. His fur, while sleek, revealed rippling muscles underneath with large scars covered his legs, how fresh they were Sunkit could not tell. The small red-coated kit felt the tension in the air like never before, and she realized, as best she could, that he was no ordinary cat.

"Rosefur," His voice rumbled out from his throat, "Please introduce the kits," The black tom sat a tail length away, while a she-cat the color of hickory and covered in similar grey markings as Pineneedle, Sunkit noticed, moved in to sit next to the tom. The kit couldn't help stare at the large pink scar that stretched across her face.

"Darkstar, Cedarfoot," Rosefur bowed her head. Sunkit realized she was being introduced to the leader and sat up as straight as she could. She had to make a good impression and maybe not seem so small. She glanced at Grasskit, and noticed he was just trying to sit still and not fidget with his paws, "This is Grasskit and Sunkit."

Cedarfoot spoke, "They share his markings,"

Darkstar nodded, "Pineneedle must be very proud," Sunkit could feel the anxiety drift off her mother's pelt. She decided to help.

"He is!" Sunkit squeaked out, knowing her father had to be so proud of them. He had to be.

Rosefur shushed the small kit, and Sunkit felt a hit on her head from her brother's small tail. She couldn't have done anything wrong! She wanted to help, and she had a voice too. Why couldn't she speak to him?

Darkstar looked directly at her with intensity. His eyes were dark, and she wondered if they always seemed like that. Suddenly, her pelt felt hot, and she instinctively bowed her head. The glare of this monstrous tom would stick with her for many nights and many dreams.

"They will make powerful warriors," Realizing she was not being scolded by the leader, Sunkit slowly lifted her head once again, "We must keep them strong and healthy," The queen nodded and finally placed a protective tail in front of them.

Cedarfoot glared at both kits, "We need Rosefur back on patrol, Windclan has been acting up recently." Sunkit didn't know what that meant, but the idea of being separated from Rosefur's warmth was not one she wanted to entertain.

Darkstar agreed, "Yes, but it would be unfair to the kits. Rosefur, you will stay in the nursery until the kits are apprenticed at four moons,"

"You are very generous, Darkstar,"

The tom flicked his tail to silence the she-cat, "I expect my kin will be ready for apprenticeship at that time. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Darkstar,"

The black colored tom turned towards Cedarfoot, "Tell Pineneedle when he returns," And with a last glance at Sunkit and Grasskit, he added, "Keep them out of the way of other warriors." With that, the two cats pushed out of the nursery, and Rosefur let out a sigh as if she hadn't breathed since the leader came in.

Leafdawn mumbled, "Lucky kits…"


	4. Chapter 2

Curious green eyes peaked over the bramble entrance to the nursery as Sunkit scanned across the clearing. The thick camp entrance shook as the last warrior in sight snuck out into the forest. Her eyes landed on the small pile of fresh kill sitting in the center of camp, and she immediately wondered what it was like to take a small bite of a mouse. The red colored kid signaled to her brother with the small flick of her tail, and after a moment, he appeared silently next to her.

She noticed that he was slightly bigger than her, so she sat as tall as she could.

"Leafdawn and Rosefur are asleep," The tom kept his voice low.

Sunkit felt excitement race through her fur, "Good, camp's empty," She then beckoned towards the fresh kill pile, "You want to try a lizard?" Grasskit nodded with wide eyes as the idea of sneaking a bite of another warrior's kill made them both giddy with anticipation.

With a final look in each other's direction, the kits pushed out into the camp. Each paw step, at first, was settled with fear. At any moment, a howl from a queen or the unexpected arrival of a warrior could interrupt their trip into the unknown. As their confidence grew, Sunkit stood up a bit straighter and pounced over to the fresh kill pile as if she did so every day.

Grasskit followed suit with a sniff over the stale flesh, "What about a frog first?" He snatched a green leg of the prey between his teeth in question and placed it in front of them, before pulling a large chunk of flesh from the body.

"Don't hog it!" Sunkit attempted to wack her tail against his head, but Grasskit, ducking out of the way, chewed with glee anyway.

"Keep up!" He meowed amusingly through bites, "Try it, slow slug." The she-cat huffed and took a bite.

The flesh was intensely different than her mother's milk, but something about it was pleasing to her stomach. The smooth texture of the frog's dried skin slid down her throat, and Sunkit thought about what a furry piece of pray tasted like. Her small stature, however, made one bite enough to begin with.

The kits dragged the left-over of the frog towards the forest edge and tossed its bones over into the marsh. They had planned it all out together, though they argued about who had come up with hiding the leftovers, the smartest part of the plan it seemed.

Grasskit padded over to the large bramble bush that covered the warrior's den. Sunkit watched him go, but she had personally found interest in the Clanrock. Her thoughts pictured Darkstar standing, staring down at his clan from the top. The leader's scars seemed to draw attention more than his eyes, leaving a cat with the thought of how one could survive such a fight. The respect he demanded at times frightened the young kit, but she felt the loyalty that the warriors had for him every time the clan watched and hung onto every word he spoke.

Two boulders leaned against each other, the taller being the Clanrock. It stood as the tallest feature of the camp, and one of which no cat around could possibly ignore. A cave, surrounded and protected by ferns, was created by the two boulders. Sunkit moved towards it, recognizing it from the kits' many surveillances of the camp as the medicine cat den. Her curiosity couldn't resist.

Sunkit paused in front of the entrance to the den. She hesitated only for a second before some driving force, seemingly almost beyond her, pushed her through the fern opening.

The den felt smaller than it had appeared from the outside. Narrow but long, the cave had several small spots for bedding laid out from the entrance to the other end, one of which was lined with moss, seemingly in regular use. The other rock had raised edges or holes, where it appeared things found in the marsh were stored. Across the small den sat a light silver she-cat. She huddled over bundles of old leaves or roots, Sunkit wasn't exactly sure what of, but the intense smell overcame the kit quite suddenly, and she sneezed.

"Who-" The she-cat lifted her head, and Sunkit, after shaking herself clear of the smell, recognized her as Silverfoot. Only a few times had the medicine cat visited Rosefur and the kits, but her smell of herbs and calm meow stood out in Sunkit's memory. Even in the dim light of the den, it seemed her fur glowed with the light of the moon, "Sunkit! What are you doing here?"

Caught, the kit lowered her head, "Grasskit and I were just exploring, it gets so boring in the nursery!"

Silverfoot stood up and moved towards Sunkit, "You cannot go wandering out of boredom," She spoke with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Sorry Silverfoot," However, Sunkit had noticed the lighthearted tone, "Aren't you going to bring me back to Rosefur?" She finally felt reassured enough to raise her head.

Silverfoot sat back down in front of her, "I'm not one to be harsh on my kin," She placed her long tail on Sunkit's shoulder.

"Kin?"

Silverfoot nodded, "I am Cedarfoot's littermate." Sunkit felt surprised by the news, considering the medicine cat did not carry the familial markings, yet relieved over the kindness she had for her kin. Silverfoot lowered herself to look right into Sunkit's green eyes, "So you are bored. Would you like to help me with clan duties then?"

Excited by the proposition, Sunkit followed Silverfoot back to where the medicine cat had been working. She had never been asked to perform clan duties, something she assumed kits could never get. Maybe she could finally show that she wasn't useless after all.

After sitting back down, Silverfoot used her paw to unfold a three pointed leaf, "This is ivy, which helps keep the herbs fresh." Sunkit reached out and touched the leaf. _Ivy…_

The open foliage revealed several long stocks of some stemmed plant, "I spent the day collecting horsetail, which I use to stop bleeding and treat infections,"

Sunkit lit up with recognition, "Like when Pineneedle got hurt! You put this on his cut?" Silverfoot purred with approval.

"Exactly, you have a great memory," Sunkit puffed out her chest. The kit did not realize how welcoming the medicine cat would be. She assumed, just like the rest of the warriors she encountered, that she was not worth glancing at.

Yet the medicine cat took an interest in her, and Sunkit couldn't wait to brag about how great her memory was.

Suddenly, a yowl from outside the den interrupted them, which caused Silverfoot to protectively wrap her tail about the small kit. It didn't sound like danger, which Sunkit had not expected to hear in her camp, but she still tensed. Rosefur had been teaching them how to pounce, and Sunkit was not afraid to test her new abilities, despite how rough they were.

Instead, she heard Grasskit's defensive meow, "It was Sunkit's idea! She's in there!" Realizing there was no danger did not help, as now Sunkit knew they had been caught.

Through the ferns came Pineneedle, "Sunkit! Get over here now!" Defeated, she slumped over and padded towards her father. Silverfoot did not move, "You know they aren't allowed out of the nursery." He said towards the medicine cat.

She kept her head high, Sunkit noticed, defiant of the high ranking warrior, "A curious kit makes a smart apprentice."

Pineneedle pushed Sunkit out the den and spat back.

"Or a dead one."


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After their unapproved adventure into the camp, Rosefur always kept an eye on them. The nursery seemed to get smaller every day, and despite their pleading, their mother denied them the chance to continue with exploration. She reminded them every day that they were lucky to spend so much time in the nursery. Not every kit got the same opportunity.

_Lucky…what a bunch of mouse-dung._ Grasskit had learned that word from listening to Leafdawn eat herbs given to her during her last stomach ache. Both kits enjoyed whispering it when Rosefur wasn't listening.

Their training continued as normal. They were encouraged to wrestle with each other, though not to the point of injury, and where she could, Rosefur gave them advice on how to hold themselves in battle. Sunkit enjoyed the training. It gave her something to do in the small nursery, but she grew frustrated when Grasskit was able to overpower her, which was more often than not. The tom did not struggle with showing off his abilities.

Sunkit was sure they would both come out of the nursery as fantastic apprentices when the time came. When pushed, Rosefur would not answer when their time to leave was. She would only say, "It's always too early for a queen," and lovingly embrace her two growing children.

The kits had grown very close with their training, but Sunkit knew she'd one day be able to knock Grasskit off his paws.

"In your dreams!" he'd amusingly snarl back.

Leafdawn had very recently given birth to a small kid, a yellow and orange she-cat with similar markings as Leopardstorm, the father. He visited only once to see the small kit. Sunkit knew Pineneedle was proud of his children and wondered why Leopardstorm did not share the same pride, but she knew better than to ask.

Either way, Honeykit, as the new addition to the nursery came to be called, was sickly. The queens forced the kits apart, despite Sunkit and Grasskit wanting to play with her as soon as she opened her eyes. Once she got better, Rosefur promised, she could play with them all day.

Her weak meows echoed in the nursery every night and were always followed by a quiet, warm hush from Leafdawn. The queen seemed perpetually exhausted, but she fought hard to keep that kit from leaving too soon.

A sickly kit meant many visits from Silverfoot, which Sunkit looked forward to. Of course, she wanted Honeykit to get better as much as the next cat, but she liked when the nursery was visited by others. It was a rare occurrence, even Pineneedle didn't poke his head in that often. Rosefur told her that the warriors were too busy to say hello, and Sunkit understood. Yet, she still felt happiness in her chest when the medicine cat came to bid welcome and check on the Leafdawn's kit.

Silverfoot always greeted Sunkit with a warm meow, and the kit always jumped to her paws with an excited hello back.

"Silverfoot!" the young she-cat hopped away from her mother and towards the entering medicine cat. Silverfoot let out a pleased meow and fully entered the nursery. She carried with her yellow flowered pulp sitting inside of a leaf, held up by Silverfoot's teeth. Sunkit, being the smarter of the two kits as she liked to claim, immediately recognized it, "Coltsfoot!"

Rosefur shushed her, "Sunkit! Please!" realizing she had awakened the sleeping Honeykit, who began to cry and cough, Sunkit felt embarrassment creep over her.

Leafdawn attempted to sooth the cries with warmth and loving licks but to no immediate avail. Sunkit moved back away but did not fully return to her mother.

Silverfoot sat down hardly a frog length's away from Honeykit and placed the leaf with its content onto the den floor. She spoke with the soft voice of a healer, "Yes Sunkit, clotsfoot, which does what?"

Now sitting next to her littermate, her eyes went wide with the trust of such a question, "Eases breathing!"

A flicker of pride flashed in Silverfoot's blue eyes, "Yes little one, your memory only improves each time we meet." Grasskit, annoyed with such a compliment given to her sister, flicked Sunkit's ear with his tail.

"The best warriors are the strongest, remember?" he mocked her with a tinge of humor. Sunkit, resisting the urge to challenge him to a play fight, ignored the comment.

Silverfoot, instead, responded, "Yes, Grasskit, but the wisest warriors live the longest." Honeykit, still crying, began to lick up the pulp offered by Silverfoot, who let out calm purrs of approval.

The nursery was quiet later that night. Sunkit sat awake at the farthest end of the nursery, while all other cats, even the pained Honeykit, slept peacefully. She had grown tired but nevertheless felt restless at moonhigh. This was not the first time she sat up, despite Rosefur's calls for sleep.

Nevertheless, Rosefur found it endearing, "You must be destined to be a Shadowclan cat after all."

Despite her name, Sunkit enjoyed the moonlight, and she looked forward to her apprenticeship, where she wouldn't be locked away to a nursery. She couldn't wait to for late night runs through the deep forest. It seemed like a faraway dream for a cat so new to the warrior life.

So she would sit and play with whatever Silverfoot had brought her that day. Today, it was a blue feather found near the monster path, whatever that was. The kit enjoyed batting it up into the air and how it hardly made a sound when it floated softly to the ground.

The nights contained some noise of cats moving around the camp, but often relative silence was fairly normal. Sunkit knew better than to make a lot of noise, and she often enjoyed listening to warriors pass by. They lived a life that only existed in dreams for her.

"_Cedarfoot!_" the spat of a recognized voice came from only what could have been a tail length away from where Sunkit sat, on the other side of the nursery wall. The kit sat suddenly very still and strained her ears. Silverfoot had never voiced herself so intensely. She spoke as if she had all the wisdom a cat could ever hope to know and yet was terrified with the weight of it, "you must speak to him for me."

A quick retort came from the deputy, who spoke in a low voice, "You know I cannot present him with such a," a pause, " such a toad-brained idea!" Sunkit hadn't heard that insult before.

"I know, _I know_," Silverfoot pushed, "but you must understand, it's her destiny."

"Her _destiny_ is determined by Darkstar."

"He doesn't understand, she's curious and caring-"

"Correct training will turn her into a strong warrior," Cedarfoot interrupted.

"Or a gracious medicine cat."

"His kin, MY kin, will not be wasted on such a position."

A moment of silence struck the air between the two she-cats, like a crack of lightning without the thunder, "_Sister_," Silverfoot quietly lamented, "You must trust me."

"Give me one good reason to take your proposal to him."

"I was given her destiny," Silverfoot spoke so softly that Sunkit strained as hard as she could to hear the words, "by our ancestors, by Starclan."

A brutal sound followed as Sunkit began to cower with fear, despite being well hidden from the she-cats. Sunkit could almost see the blood drip of Silverfoot's face.

"I need not explain this to you again. She will be made a warrior apprentice, and you will speak never again of that name,"

Sunkit's heart pounded into her ears. The feather landed softly on the den floor.

A shaking voice spoke back, "Yes, Cedarfoot."


End file.
